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Chazara persephone (Hübner, [1805]) Great Steppe Grayling

This is the only satyrine recorded from all countries for nearly one hundred years (John et al., 2011; DB
of the Levant, where it is local and mostly rare across approved its identity) and mirrors the cryptic behaviour
the region. Despite once being reported as abundant of persephone experienced in Upper Galilee. These
in Lebanon, Larsen found the species to be very appear to be rare examples of a species surviving in tiny, Lekking ?
scarce from 1970-1975 (Larsen & Nakamura, 1983). isolated populations for long periods, with no apparent © Christodoulos Makris © Christodoulos Makris © Dubi Benyamini
C. persephone is a cryptic, possibly non-migratory genetic decline. The female has a larger wingspan than
and a particularly interesting species that may remain the male and has a second, uncommon form where the Ļ Ļ
undetected for many years in some habitats, e.g. Saint white stripes on the wing are replaced with orange – f.
Katherine (1600-2000 m), S Sinai Massif, Egypt, where a hanifa; a rare male of this form was recorded from Mt
specimen was collected by James in 2001 (Mike James, Hermon on 17.6.2013 (leg. O. Tomer – illustr.). Female DGXOW
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pers. comm. to EJ). Until then, its presence in Sinai had f. hanifa resemble Pseudochazara thelephassa except HJJ 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
lar v a
eluded Wiltshire (1948), Benyamini (1983) and Larsen for the eyespots (which are blind in C. persephone) pupa © Dubi Benyamini
(1990). In the high mountains of South Sinai, it possibly and the lack of two small white forewing ocelli located
inhabits steep areas with large, smooth-faced sandstone beneath the subapical eyespot, and present in all Levant
boulders bearing fissures that trap rainwater, allowing Pseudochazara spp. Mud puddling was observed on Mt
rich growth of grasses and producing a unique type of Hermon (1600 m) in June and September (Kirshenbaum Ļ Ļ
biotope, naturally protected from grazing. Hipparchia et al., 2016; Moshe, 2017; DB, pers. obs.). In autumn, © Dubi Benyamini © Dubi Benyamini
pisidice shares similar biotopes, although this is much a greater number of adults (males and females) are
more common. Gilbert & Zalat (2007:119) considered seen at the top of Mt Hermon (2050 m) than on its
persephone non-resident in Egypt (i.e. west of the Gulf lower slopes, suggesting hilltopping prior to mating and/
of Suez). Similar biotopes may be inhabited at Jebel al or midsummer aestivation at higher elevations, as with
Lawz (2580 m) Hejaz, NW Saudi Arabia, on the eastern Hipparchia cypriensis (John & Parker, 2002). In captivity,
side of the Red Sea opposite Sinai, as well as in Petra specimens mated in September.
(900-1000 m), Edom and Jordan. In NE Jordan, several
specimens were collected by Lockhart at Qasr Azrak and
Zerqa on the fringes of the eastern desert, between May %LRORJ\
and September 1927 (Larsen & Nakamura, 1983), but
none were placed in the national collections in Amman )OLJKW SHULRG late May to September in a single © Dubi Benyamini © Irit Kovachi
and Irbid (Katbeh-Bader et al., 2003 and pers. comm.). annual brood (in captivity, gravid females survived
Similarly, although present in a completely different until November). Flies from sl to 2500 m in the Cedar
type of biotope in Israel, a local population exists deep Mts, Lebanon (Larsen 1974: 134); at Banias (Jordan
inside the Mediterranean forest of Upper Galilee around River source) & Mt Hermon, from 350 m to 2100+ m;
Mt Meron, where the perfectly camouflaged persephone 1545-2602 m at Al-Lazzab reserve Syrian Anti-Lebanon
remains motionless during summer aestivation. The (Zarikian & Ghrejyan, 2018) H. s. syriaca
few available records relate to its short flight activity
following the spring emergence, and again in the /LIH KLVWRU\ univoltine. Breeding of Mt Hermon
autumn when they mate and oviposit. This was typified persephone was undertaken in DB laboratory every
by a rare sighting of a female disturbed on 20.5.2015 year from 2012 to 2016. Males and females were
during monitoring of deep forest N of Kfar Shamai (633 collected at the first sign of falling temperatures (third © Christodoulos Makris © Dubi Benyamini
m), Upper Galilee (Ofir Tomer and DB, pers. obs.). The week of August at 1600 to 2050 m), and caged with reddish-brown; a small black protrusion of a spiracle exists
week of 14-21 May 2020 was the hottest ever reported their preferred nectar sources, Cirsium phyllocephalum over each eye. Adults hatched after seven weeks. In the lab,
for this period in the Levant with day temperatures (Asteraceae) and Cephalaria stellipilis (Caprifoliaceae), with warmer temperatures and a continuous food supply, the
over 40°C in C Israel and nearly 50°C on the northern and provided with dry grasses. The cage was sprayed first adult hatched on 8 April 2013, about a month earlier
coasts of the Red sea. It did not prevent this, perhaps an with mineral water once every couple of days, but than is normal in its natural environment in Cyprus (Makris,
enigma butterfly to appear “on time” in new unexpected intake was rare in preference to nectaring. The cages 2003: 240).
places faraway from any known population; on 19 May were placed near a west-facing window receiving direct
2020 in Kibbutz Mesilot -112m. 2 km W Beit She’an, afternoon and evening sun. Courting specimens were 5HFRUGHG KRVWSODQWV Poaceae (Gramineae) – Piptatherum
C Jordan Valley, mid-day temp. over 40°C, where in observed on the walls of the breeding cages between spp. are preferred in Cyprus while Brachypodium and Holcus
18:00 hours Ma’ayan Ashkenazi irrigated his garden 11 and 26 September. Males were seen to flit in circles spp. were reported by Tshikolovets (2011: 421) and Holcus
when a perfect persephone male was observed and around the females, which sometimes behaved similarly. by Tuzov et al., (1997: 241, citing Nekrutenko, 1990).
photographed nectaring on Duranta erecta, no less than With wings vibrating, males approached the female
54 km from its nearest known population in Mt Meron. from the side, or faced head-to-head, angling wings
A day later on 20.5.2020 during the same super-hot forward, releasing pheromones and raising and lowering 'LVWULEXWLRQ
weather a specimen was observed by Marva Shmueli in antennae towards the female, while her antennae point
her monitoring track in the Botanical garden of Oranim forward, 90º apart; females sometimes vibrated wings to TL: Beirut. Distributed from the Dalmatian S coast of Croatia,
Academic College at Kiryat Tivon nectaring on Limonium repel. Unreceptive females either flip wings to deter the eastwards through the Balkans and some Mediterranean
sp. It is only 3 km from Mt Carmel wherefrom it was male, before raising and concealing the abdomen within H. s. cypriaca Oberthür, 1894 islands to Turkey, the Caucasus, N Iraq, W & NW Iran. In the
last recorded by von Kalchberg (1897) ca 127 years closed wings, or drop to the bottom of the cage, quickly Levant, the nominotypical subspecies Hipparchia syriaca
ago! (Benyamini, 2020h – both enigmatic specimens regaining position afterwards. Matings, lasting 1.5-2.5 syriaca is present in south-east Turkey, Syria and Lebanon
illustr.). In June 2010, a well camouflaged specimen was hours, were observed between 17 and 26 September, (absent from Israel, Jordan and Sinai). Kudrna, (1977: 37),
photographed by Daniel and Hilary Haines as it alighted with eggs laid from 22 September to 30 November; the Olivier, (1983: 196) and Hesselbarth et al., (1995: 896)
briefly on a cleared bank in Kantara Forest (500 m), first L1 emerged on 30 September. A female that was recognized an endemic subspecies for Cyprus: Hipparchia
northern Cyprus. This was the first report from the island collected on 22 August 2012, laid the first eggs on 30 © Dubi Benyamini syriaca cypriaca (Staudinger, 1879); TL: Kypern (Cyprus).
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